School Library Journal: It’s the start of the spring semester at Opportunity High School in Opportunity, AL, and the school day is progressing as normal—until one revenge-minded student brings violence to this sleepy, close-knit community. This novel takes place over the course of 54 tense minutes, as four main characters (all of whom also conveniently have siblings affected by the shooting) narrate their harrowing experiences and consider their relationships with the shooter. Nijkamp populates Opportunity High School with a diverse representation of students, enriching the book with their varied experiences and reactions to the horrifying turn of events. The four main narratives are joined by text messages, tweets, and blog entries interspersed throughout, allowing for more viewpoints and commentary without narrative clutter. Although the work is devastating, it offers a small moment of optimism and closure at the end without resorting to an incongruous tidy ending. VERDICT With a thrilling narrative, topical subject matter, and diverse characters, this is a first purchase for libraries serving teens.
Nov 252015
November 25, 2015
Booklist: In a novel that works both as stand-alone and sequel, Bennett returns to the same postapocalyptic fantasy world he created to much critical and reader acclaim in City of Stairs (2014), but this time, the setting is a ruined city where the ruling god is dead and lawlessness abounds. The retired General Mulaghesh is forced back into the fray in the city of Voortyashtan, so named for defeated god Voortya, who had promised her army of supporters a glorious afterlife before they were all destroyed. While Mulaghesh’s cover story is to assist the military commander, her real assignment is to investigate the disappearance of another officer who had uncovered a dangerous secret about Voortya and her defeated army. Like the very best speculative fiction, the novel immerses readers in a made-up world, only to force us take a harder look at the real one in which we are currently living. Give this to fans of other strong world-building, high-fantasy series with political-military intrigue like those by Brian Staveley, Kameron Hurley, or even George R. R. Martin.
RT Book Reviews: The third book in the Matchmaking Babies series opens with Lord Warrick asking Lady Caroline Trelawney Dowling for help in refining his manners in order to find a wife and provide an heir. Lady Caroline finds that she enjoys spending time with Lord Warrick. For reasons of her own, Lady Caroline has chosen not to marry. But will Lord Warrick and the two abandoned children she has been taking care of make her change her mind? Brown’s latest is a faith-filled read sure to touch hearts. Readers will be pleased to find out that the storyline about the children’s origins is resolved. In addition, previous characters are back as the story wraps up all loose ends nicely and culminates in a moving ending.
i09: Newman does a fantastic job…
Booklist: Crime-fighting duo FBI agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota BCA agent Kirk Stevens (The 
Kirkus: “In a conflagrant climax overflowing with images of glory and wonder, Duane neatly manages to pull together and tie off plot threads that have been dangling since the earliest volumes.”
SFX Magazine: …Christopher goes deeper than pastiche. Ray’s primitive systems can only retain 24 hours of memory, so each day he’s a clean slate, briefed on the case by Ada – and it’s not clear he can trust her. This is wonderfully noir, leaving Ray slightly adrift between the forces trying to manipulate him. And in true Chandler style, Ray quickly becomes implicated in the very case he’s investigating, making things even knottier. Made To Kill is book one of a trilogy. We’d happily go for more than three.